onepixel

I just just had a knee scope and wondered if anyone else here has had one? I have a few questions if anyone has had one.

Cape Blue

Yep,

first time was a scope that moved into a full-out chondroplasty operation whilst I was on the table, second time was a scope that ended up with my plica removed along with some fat pad and cartilage smoothing/debridement.

Ice, ice and some more ice, along with NSAID.

onepixel

Wow that sounds painful. I hope you are ok now.

Well I had my surgery on Monday and I know it is still early days but I feel the same pain I had before I went for the surgery. My surgeon is a very difficult man and I don't even get to see him for another two weeks to find out exactly what he did. I went in to have three meniscus tears fixed up along with some other stuff but I am worried the op made no difference. I hope over time with healing it will get better. It took two years of pain to get a doctor to even diagnose me properly.

Cape Blue

Ice, ice and more ice - takes a while for all the internal bruising to calm down and the knee to become less sensitive.

My first surgery didn't work well and the long lead up to it and several weeks on crutches after it allowed my muscles to atrophy - I suggest you look online at kneeguru and some of the others sites. Measure the size of your leg at your VMO just above the knee with a bit of string - then compare to the other leg, often the favouring of the "good leg" has led to a reduction in muscle mass on the "bad" one.

My experience of post-op physio is that it really comes down to:
(1). Plenty of stretching
(2). Quad and VMO strengthening
(3). Finding an exercise that hurts and repeating it - yes, a little strange but it does seem to (effectively) be what physio's do - as well as the ice and NSAID.

Seven years after my accident and 2 operations later, I still have regular pain and twinges. I suspect it is far too early for you to tell whether it has worked, you'll need to have the inflammation reduced and have done some quad strengthening first.

Do watch your weight, the reduced mobility and reaction to regular pain episodes can leave you eating more and moving less - the last thing your knee needs is some extra lbs.

http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Own.../dp/0897934229 this helped me in the early days.

onepixel

Thank you very much for all that information. I will try and relax about it and let myself heal. I am allergic to anti inf. meds so I am just on tylenol 3 but that is ok. It has been a stressful time. My surgeon thought it was funny to tell me the surgery had been cancelled as I was walking into the operation room... if my knee does get better I will test it out by kicking him in the ......

Cape Blue

I have to admit, my own experience of surgeons is similar - they seem to feel their s%$t doesn't stink.

For the next few days (if I were you) I would be icing 3-4 times per day and doing some basic (no weights) leg extensions a couple of times per day - sit on a table with your legs hanging down and straight them (alternating) to horizontal, holding for 5 seconds at the top, 20 reps.

Meniscus work is often not as bad as cartilage, I would expect it to be towards the end of next week before all the inflammation has gone and you can really start to feel how the knee works.

Good luck, tell us how you get on.

onepixel

I will let you know in a week

I have seen 5 specialists altogether. Top ones in Toronto but because the very first doctor wrote down he thought I had reactive arthritis after a bad case of flu all the specialists refused to look at my xrays and mri which I had to beg for. I told them I knew my injury was the result of falling out of a high truck when moving into my house but they would not listen. They all told me I had arthritis. This last specialist refused to look at my mri and said get used to the pain it is just going to get worse. He only agreed to look at a mri if I had a new one done. He then told me both my knees were a mess. So many tests, xrays and two mri's before a specialist would help me. This one is a b#@#$$d but he is supposed to be a good surgeon so I have to stick with him, otherwise I would be pushed around to other doctors adding more time to the 2 years I have suffered through.

Cape Blue

That's terrible isn't it, mentioning a specific accident but them not listening. Check your quad sizes (with the string) for the good leg Vs bad one, if it has been two years you will likely have favoured the good one for some time and lack of quad strength will hamper your recovery.

Alberta_Rose

<evil laugh....... >

caretaker

How long is the average recovery time before returning to work? I'm waiting for the call for my surgery and the boss class is going nuts. Not much of a trip for them, ha ha.

onepixel

I asked lots of people about the recovery time. Some said a week and some said 6 weeks. I think it depends what they have to do once in the knee. My surgery was on Monday and I can sort of walk now but have to be careful and the pain is still there. I will be off work for 2 weeks but won't be able to kneel, crouch and twist etc for a long time. When checking out videos on youtube of others who had the op I don't have as much bruising as some of those people so I am sure that helps.

Cape Blue

Before my first op they said I would be walking out later that day - nearly 6 weeks later I stopped using the crutches! It all depends upon what they find and what they do when they are inside.

I would certainly plan on a minimum of 2 weeks of reduced capacity and go from there.

Alberta_Rose

I had both knees scoped. .... one 25 years ago for a torn cartilage (meniscus) ... I was back playing field hockey in about a month ....
then the second was October 2009 .... Had some arthritic spurs trimmed as well as ragged cartilage. I had a week off work, but took months to recover and I still have numbness around the knee. I'm just back skiing this season, but it does still feel occasionally twingy ... OA I am sure.

The scope itself is just a way to get into the knee and do stuff ... If there is a lot of work to be done, or if they are poking around trying to find the cause of the problem then it's a much bigger dealio.

Those books look good ... I might get some to show my patients. (I work in a knee replacement clinic!)

onepixel

Just thought I would post an udate about my recent knee scope. I had the scope two weeks ago tomorrow. At first I could not imagine ever walking again lol but after about 5 days I was able to hobble around. The pain got better each day and now I am walking ok. I had the stitches out which helped as they were pulling my skin. I still have no idea what the surgeon did as he is on vacation. I don't feel like a miracle happened. I feel the same as before the surgery. I am wondering if that might be because my knee might still be healing inside.

Joe_Sleepy

Reading this thread induced a full body pucker...

Hope it heals well & you get some relief..